Globally Vulnerable and New Zealand endemic Chatham Albatross Thalassarche eremita chicks have been translocated by the Chatham Islands Taiko Trust from the Pyramid, the species’ sole breeding site, to Point Gap on the main Chatham Island over the last four years in an effort to establish a new breeding colony. The colour-banded chicks are hand fed on fish and squid in the presence of adult decoys and a sound system until they fledge (see earlier reports in ACAP Latest News).

The last translocated Chatham Albatross chick to fledge in 2016 stands on its artificial nest at Point Gap with decoys in the background

In the first year all 50 fledged translocated chicks fledged: a 100% success rate.  In the second year 55 out of 60 fledged, with 45 out of 50 fledging in the third year.  This year 58 of 62 fledged, with the last bird leaving over 21/22 April.   Thus out of 222 chicks translocated in four years 208 fledged, a 93.7% success rate – which is likely to be as good or better than that achieved by naturally-reared chicks.  The fatalities were all autopsied with a combination of heat and stress determined as the cause of death.

A fifth and final year of transfers from the Pyramid is planned. After that the decoys and sound system will be left in place at the translocation site to help attract returning birds.  In addition, trips will be undertaken to the Pyramid to look for translocated pre-breeders that might have returned there instead of to Point Gap.  To date, no birds have been seen returning to the translocation site but they may be expected within a year or two, although one has been identified off South America by its colour bands (click here).

With thanks to Dave Boyle.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 01 May 2017

Graeme Elliott and Kath Walker (Albatross Research, Nelson, New Zealand) have produced a report presented last month to a meeting of the Conservation Services Programme of New Zealand’s Department of Conservation on their recent research on the globally Vulnerable Antipodean Albatross Diomedea antipodensis breeding on New Zealand’s Antipodes Island.

“Antipodean wandering albatrosses have been monitored since 1994. They increased in abundance between 1994 and 2004 at about 6.3% per annum, but since 2004 have declined: males at 5% per annum and females at 11%. The population of breeding females is now only 25% of its 2004 level. At the current rate of decline there will be only 250 pairs of Antipodean wandering albatrosses in 28 years. Coincident with this decline there has been a reduction in nesting success. The rapid drop in numbers has been caused by high mortality, particularly amongst females. The most likely cause of this decline is a change in ocean conditions which has led to lower nesting success and birds foraging in areas with a higher fisheries bycatch risk than before. A comparison of satellite tracking before 2004 and geolocator tracking after 2004 indicates a dramatic shift in the foraging range of females. They now often forage to the north-east of New Zealand and in two areas off the South American coast: near Juan Fernandez Islands and close to the south Chilean coast. Since males visit the Juan Fernandez and north-east New Zealand areas only rarely, and since they have much higher survivorship it seems possible the high female mortality might be happening in these two areas. Understanding the causes of and solutions to the high female mortality is urgently required as the high and sustained rate of decline has put this species into New Zealand’s “Nationally Critical” conservation status category.”

An Antipodean Albatross pair on Antipodes Island, photograph by Colin O'Donnell

Reference:

Elliott, G. & Walker, K. 2017.  Antipodean Wandering Albatross Census and Population Study 2017.  [Nelson]: Albatross Research.  13 pp.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 28 April 2017

Miguel Ferrer (Applied Ecology Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana, Seville, Spain) and colleagues have published in the journal Bird Study on the blood chemistry of breeding Black-browed Albatrosses Thalassarche melanophris and their chicks.

The paper’s abstract follows:

Capsule: In Black-browed Albatrosses Thalassarche melanophris nutritional condition is correlated between parents and their offspring.

Aims: To test resource allocation hypotheses analysing the relationship between parental and offspring nutritional condition.

Methods: We measured blood chemistry parameters related with nutritional condition in 24 parents and their nestlings in a colony of Black-browed Albatrosses.

Results: There were no significant differences in blood parameters between sexes or location of the nest within the colony, neither among adults nor among nestlings. We found a significant positive correlation between parents and the nutritional condition of their offspring, measured as urea, uric acid and beta-hydroxybutyrate concentrations in blood.

Discussion: These relationships demonstrate that condition of the young seems to be merely a reflection of parental condition. An interesting relationship between alkaline phosphatase concentration in adults and nutritional condition of their nestlings was found, suggesting that age of the parents would be a key factor explaining quality of the nestling.”

Black-browed Albatross stands over its chick, photograph by Ian Strange

Reference:

Miguel Ferrer, M., Morandini, V.,Perry , L.& Bechard, M. 2017.  Physiological conditions of parent and offspring Black-browed Albatrosses Thalassarche melanophris.  Bird Study  doi.org/10.1080/00063657.2017.1314447.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 27 April 2017

Allan Perkins (RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, Aberdeen, UK) and colleagues have published in the journal Bird Study on using playback of calls to estimate population numbers in Manx Shearwaters Puffinus puffinus.

“Capsule: Playback with dual-sex calls increases the response rate of Manx Shearwaters Puffinus puffinus by 40–60% and reduces its daily variability, which would improve the precision of population estimates. 

Aims: To test whether playing male and female calls would elicit more responses to playback than male-only calls, reduce daily variability and the length of response rate calibration trials, and give more precise estimates. We also measured response times to playback and assessed the reliability of visual signs of occupancy at burrow entrances.

Methods: Responses to four playback call-types (male-only and three variants of dual-sex calls) were compared in repeated trials at two colonies (Ramsey and Rum, UK) during May–June 2014.

Results: Dual-sex calls gave higher response rates with lower variance than male-only calls, because females frequently replied to female calls but rarely to male calls. In simulated 3–5-day calibration trials, response rates and correction factors were up to 50% more precise with dual-sex calls. Visual signs of burrow occupancy were unreliable.

Conclusion: Playback for Manx Shearwaters should use a 25 seconds recording of male and female calls intermixed, with 10 seconds listening time for delayed responses. Census-specific calibration trials are essential for accurate estimates of daily response rates.”

Manx Shearwater, photograph by Nathan Fletcher

Reference:

Perkins, A.J., Douse, A., Morgan, G., Cooper, A. & Bolton, M. 2017.  Using dual-sex calls improves the playback census method for a nocturnal burrow-nesting seabird, the Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus.  Bird Study doi.org/10.1080/00063657.2017.1307940.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 26 April 2016